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Softball Earns No. 1 Seed In NCAA Regional Tournament

SEATTLE - The Washington softball team (36-17) earned a No. 1 seed in the 2004 NCAA Regional Tournament and will head for Athens, Georgia Tuesday. The Huskies, who rank eighth among the 64-team field, will open play against No. 8 seed Chattanooga (45-23). Washington is aiming to win the eight-team regional to advance to the program's seventh College World Series after tying for fifth place at the CWS last year.

'I'm glad that we are a No. 1 seed,' said co-head coach Scott Centala. 'After learning that we would not be hosting two weeks ago, we began preparing ourselves to make a cross-country trip. Athens should be a great regional site and we are excited about getting the postseason underway. The keys for success are getting hot and building on that momentum.'

Washington, which earns its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth will hit the road for regional play for the fourth straight season after going to Lincoln, Neb., in 2003, Ann Arbor, Mich., in 2002 and Norman, Okla., in 2001. The Huskies have hosted the regional in Seattle four times (1996, 1998-2000), while traveling to Norman in 1997, Lafayette, La., in 1995 and Northridge, Calif., in 1994.

The Huskies, who are 42-18 all-time at the NCAA tournament, have played and defeated two of their prospective opponents this season, including Massachusetts, 5-2 and Texas A&M, 4-2. Washington has faced five of the regional participants during its 12-year history and holds advantages in each all-time series- Georgia (1-0), Texas A&M (3-0), Michigan State (2-0), Massachusetts (8-0) and Chattanoga (4-0). UW has never faced Georgia Tech or Eastern Kentucky.

Seven of the eight Pacific-10 Conference teams earned bids to the regional tournament, including Arizona, UCLA, California, Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State. Arizona, which claimed the tournament's top seed, and UCLA, California and Stanford each earned one of the eight No. 1 seeds along with UW. The other No. 1 seeds, include LSU, Florida State and Michigan.

All of Washington's postseason games will air live on KKNW AM-1150 and will also available over the internet at www.gohuskies.com or www.newschannel1150.com. Broadcasts will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.